Katerina Mataira
Encyclopedia
Dame Katerina Te Heikoko Mataira, DNZM (13 November 1932 – 16 July 2011) was a New Zealand
er Māori language
proponent, educator, intellectual
, artist
and writer
. Her efforts to revive and revitalize the Māori language, also known as Te reo Māori, led to the growth of the Māori immersion schools
, also called Kura Kaupapa Māori
, in New Zealand
.
She was born in 1932 in Tokomaru Bay
, on the east coast of the North Island
. She was a member of the Ngāti Porou
Māori iwi
. Mataira had nine children with her husband, Junior Te Ratu Karepa Mataira. She initially studied to be an art teacher and educator.
Mataira and a friend, fellow teacher Ngoi Pēwhairangi
, co-founded the Te Ataarangi program as a way to teach and revitalize the Māori language
. Mataira was intrigued by the Silent Way
, a language teaching method created by Caleb Gattegno
, and adapted to method to teach Māori. Her efforts earned her the nickname as the "mother" of the Kura Kaupapa Māori
, or Maori immersion schools, according to Dr. Pita Sharples
. She also authored Māori language children's picture book
s and novels.
On 7 June 2011, Katerina Mataira was made a Dame
Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit
for her service to the Māori language as part of the 2011 Queen's Birthday Honours
.
Dame Katerina Mataira died on 16 July 2011, in Hamilton, New Zealand
, at the age of 78. She was survived by her nine children, fifty grandchildren, great grandchildren and one great great grandchild. Her tangi
, or Māori funeral
, was at the Ohinewaiapu Marae
in Rangitukia
.
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
er Māori language
Maori language
Māori or te reo Māori , commonly te reo , is the language of the indigenous population of New Zealand, the Māori. It has the status of an official language in New Zealand...
proponent, educator, intellectual
Intellectual
An intellectual is a person who uses intelligence and critical or analytical reasoning in either a professional or a personal capacity.- Terminology and endeavours :"Intellectual" can denote four types of persons:...
, artist
Artist
An artist is a person engaged in one or more of any of a broad spectrum of activities related to creating art, practicing the arts and/or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse is a practitioner in the visual arts only...
and writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
. Her efforts to revive and revitalize the Māori language, also known as Te reo Māori, led to the growth of the Māori immersion schools
Kura Kaupapa Maori
Kura Kaupapa Māori are Māori-language immersion schools where the philosophy and practice reflect Māori cultural values with the aim of revitalising Māori language, knowledge and culture...
, also called Kura Kaupapa Māori
Kura Kaupapa Maori
Kura Kaupapa Māori are Māori-language immersion schools where the philosophy and practice reflect Māori cultural values with the aim of revitalising Māori language, knowledge and culture...
, in New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
.
She was born in 1932 in Tokomaru Bay
Tokomaru Bay
Tokomaru Bay is a small, idyllic beachside community located on the isolated East Coast of New Zealand’s North Island. It is 91 km north of Gisborne, on State Highway 35, and close to Mount Hikurangi. The district was originally known as Toka-a-Namu, which refers to the abundance of sandflies...
, on the east coast of the North Island
North Island
The North Island is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, separated from the much less populous South Island by Cook Strait. The island is in area, making it the world's 14th-largest island...
. She was a member of the Ngāti Porou
Ngati Porou
Ngāti Porou is a Māori iwi traditionally located in the East Cape and Gisborne regions of the North Island of New Zealand. Ngāti Porou has the second-largest affiliation of any iwi in New Zealand, with 71,910 registered members in 2006...
Māori iwi
Iwi
In New Zealand society, iwi form the largest everyday social units in Māori culture. The word iwi means "'peoples' or 'nations'. In "the work of European writers which treat iwi and hapū as parts of a hierarchical structure", it has been used to mean "tribe" , or confederation of tribes,...
. Mataira had nine children with her husband, Junior Te Ratu Karepa Mataira. She initially studied to be an art teacher and educator.
Mataira and a friend, fellow teacher Ngoi Pēwhairangi
Ngoi Pewhairangi
Ngoi Pēwhairangi—in full, Te Kumeroa Ngoingoi Pēwhairangi, was a prominent teacher of, and advocate for, Māori language and culture, and the composer of many songs...
, co-founded the Te Ataarangi program as a way to teach and revitalize the Māori language
Maori language
Māori or te reo Māori , commonly te reo , is the language of the indigenous population of New Zealand, the Māori. It has the status of an official language in New Zealand...
. Mataira was intrigued by the Silent Way
Silent Way
The Silent Way is a language teaching method created by Caleb Gattegno that makes extensive use of silence as a teaching technique. It is not usually considered a mainstream method in language education. It was first introduced in Gattegno's book Teaching Foreign Languages in Schools: The Silent...
, a language teaching method created by Caleb Gattegno
Caleb Gattegno
Caleb Gattegno Alexandria, Egypt is best known for his innovative approaches to teaching and learning mathematics , foreign languages and reading...
, and adapted to method to teach Māori. Her efforts earned her the nickname as the "mother" of the Kura Kaupapa Māori
Kura Kaupapa Maori
Kura Kaupapa Māori are Māori-language immersion schools where the philosophy and practice reflect Māori cultural values with the aim of revitalising Māori language, knowledge and culture...
, or Maori immersion schools, according to Dr. Pita Sharples
Pita Sharples
Pita Russell Sharples, CBE, , a Māori academic and politician, currently co-leads the Māori Party. He currently is the member for Tamaki Makaurau in New Zealand's Parliament.-Early life:...
. She also authored Māori language children's picture book
Picture book
A picture book combines visual and verbal narratives in a book format, most often aimed at young children. The images in picture books use a range of media such as oil paints, acrylics, watercolor and pencil.Two of the earliest books with something like the format picture books still retain now...
s and novels.
On 7 June 2011, Katerina Mataira was made a Dame
Dame (title)
The title of Dame is the female equivalent of the honour of knighthood in the British honours system . It is also the equivalent form address to 'Sir' for a knight...
Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit
New Zealand Order of Merit
The New Zealand Order of Merit is an order established in 1996 "for those persons who in any field of endeavour, have rendered meritorious service to the Crown and nation or who have become distinguished by their eminence, talents, contributions or other merits."The order includes five...
for her service to the Māori language as part of the 2011 Queen's Birthday Honours
2011 Birthday Honours
The Birthday Honours 2011 for the Commonwealth Realms were announced on 7 June 2011 in New Zealand and 11 June 2011 in United Kingdom to celebrate the Queen's Birthday of 2011.-Privy Councillors:...
.
Dame Katerina Mataira died on 16 July 2011, in Hamilton, New Zealand
Hamilton, New Zealand
Hamilton is the centre of New Zealand's fourth largest urban area, and Hamilton City is the country's fourth largest territorial authority. Hamilton is in the Waikato Region of the North Island, approximately south of Auckland...
, at the age of 78. She was survived by her nine children, fifty grandchildren, great grandchildren and one great great grandchild. Her tangi
Tangihanga
Tangihanga, or more commonly, Tangi, is a Māori funeral rite.Each iwi differs on how they honour those who pass. Tangihanga generally take three days with burial on the third day. From the moment of death, the tūpāpaku is rarely alone. The tūpāpaku is transported to the marae...
, or Māori funeral
Funeral
A funeral is a ceremony for celebrating, sanctifying, or remembering the life of a person who has died. Funerary customs comprise the complex of beliefs and practices used by a culture to remember the dead, from interment itself, to various monuments, prayers, and rituals undertaken in their honor...
, was at the Ohinewaiapu Marae
Marae
A marae malae , malae , is a communal or sacred place which serves religious and social purposes in Polynesian societies...
in Rangitukia
Rangitukia
Rangitukia is a small settlement 10 kilometres south of East Cape in the northeast of New Zealand's North Island. It is located close to the mouth of the Waiapu River....
.